I see that I got trumped. His answer is better than what I would have typed because I am not having issues with it.

But you can put in an OPV if you want one but it is not needed. You control the Oscar with grind and tamping and I can tell you I get very good espresso out of it with very little into it. What I am doing with the gicleurs is really fine tuning the thermosyphin I am not sure it is changing the group head pressure but flatting the temp profile.

It helps explain why some others have tried adjusting the OPV (Neplax) just to wind up with leaks. And you help me understand that Oscar can only be adjusted so much, like boiler pressure and brew temperature, and the rest is up to me to adapt. It was a good buy from Craigslist and an enormous step up from the toy I was using so I'm happy regardless.

I'll plan to order a new Neplax to have on hand when she goes or maybe install it sooner as a precaution. You mentioned that replacing it was tough because of the tight thread seating. Did you remove the group from the frame to get it out? Or would that lead to even more trouble?

Amen. This realization has been coming to me as the shots slowly get dialed in. The machine just seemed so powerful compared to the tiny DeLonghi I'd used for years; I felt it needed to be dialed back. However, I keep finding more useful info about all sorts of techniques to improve shot consistency and quality and even a bit about the chemistry of it all.

Then there's the milk aspect. Again, all that steam was overwhelming and it seemed the best I could get was thin scalded milk with a stiff tasteless cap of foam so quickly that I could barely understand what had just happened. Then the community led me to sites like the barista championships and Metropolis Coffee (metropoliscoffee.com) with its collection of great instructional videos that put all the words into well shot moving pictures. Suddenly, tiny bubbles coated with thick milk started appearing in my pitcher. Magic! The Oscar has started to respond more like those four group behemoths and less like the Gaggia Classic and Rancilio Silvia instructions I’d been looking at.

Glad I was able to help. Between Noobie, myself, and a couple others, we've seen most (typical) problems this machine can throw your way. As far as steaming milk, I learned on a single hole tip with my previous machine, which I believe gives better control. To that end, I ditched the big 4 hole tip Oscar came with and replaced it with a single-hole tip from the Silvia. I much prefer it now and get pretty good results.

I order a group head gasket every time I get something so I have at least one on hand at all times. I went from the 2 hole reducing steam tip back to the 4 hole stock tip. It is harder but I feel like I can better handle the power now.

Do you know whether you have a new Silvia steam tip or the older one? The older one does not fit Oscar, if I recall correctly.

I have an older V2 Silvia that broke quickly after getting it used through eBay. That's how I wound up with Oscar. Depressed from Silvia breaking and browsing "espresso" on Craigslist, Oscar showed up as a deal from heaven - half the cost of the Rancilio and about the same as fixing her myself with so much less effort and time. She sits in pieces waiting for attention, but I'm not in much of a hurry now that Oscar is entertaining me.

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